


Dealer

by SeasonalTea



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Help me I can't believe I'm in Arsene hell, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 05:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11502696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeasonalTea/pseuds/SeasonalTea
Summary: It was supposed to be a relaxing day with a couple of friends, but instead you may have lost your heart in a bet.





	Dealer

**Author's Note:**

> Akira is everything I love aesthetically and Arsene is becoming everything I want in a personality I’m not going to be able to stop combining these two someone save me. There’s a lot of dialogue in this and it bugs me but that’s how it is I guess.

"Two pair!" 

"Full house!" 

"You're effin' kidding me!" Ryuji wailed as he collapsed back into his seat after his standing reveal. 

A smirk curled your lips as you plucked the chocolate bar from Ryuji's end of the table.  LeBlanc was empty at this hour of the day, not that it was much busier at any other time as Akira had informed you.  Across from you, your blond friend was slouched over in his seat as Ryuji lamented his fourth consecutive loss to you. 

"How are you so good at this?" he questioned with a pout, staring longingly at his lost candy bar. 

"It's all about cultivating a sense for the game.  I've simply been playing for as long as I can remember, my dear," you teased the blond as you reassembled your trusty playing cards and began shuffling. 

"You sure you ain't cheating." Ryuji shot you a sharp glare. 

"My pride!" you exclaimed. "I can't believe you would accuse the honest me of something as foul as cheating!  And at poker of all things?  You wound me." 

"You're almost as bad as Yusuke," the ex-athlete muttered at your exaggerated reaction. 

"We're simply artists fond of our craft," you explained. 

"A con-artist in your case," he quipped. 

"Ryuji!" you complained, the accusations beginning to actually bother you. 

The blond gave you a cheeky grin in response. 

"Is everything okay?" a third voice asked, accompanied by the sound of creaking stairs. 

"Yo, Akira!" 

"Ah, Akira, you're finally free?" 

The addressed youth gave you both a smile in greeting as he joined you from upstairs.  A sly grin lit your face as Akira stopped by your table, a look of confusion resting in his eyes. 

"Absolutely nothing wrong here, Leader!  Just a bit of good, clean, fun poker.  Want to join?" you offered the onyx-haired male. 

"Don't do it, man!  You'll be robbed naked!" Ryuji immediately jumped in and you huffed. 

"Don't be a sore loser," you chided. 

The blond opened his mouth to argue back once more, but the buzz of his cell phone cut him off.  Ryuji excused himself for a moment to check his messages and then turned back to the both of you with a frown. 

"That was my mum.  Looks like she needs me home for something, sorry," he apologised before standing. 

"Family's important, no worries," Akira said. 

"Ryuji!" you called just as he turned his back to you. 

The male swivelled to ask you what you wanted, only to be met with a chocolate bar landing flat on his face.  The blond yelped at the sudden impact and fumbled with the candy for a couple moments before he regained his balance. 

"Whoops, sorry about that," you managed to say through a fit of laughter. "I'm giving that back to you for your ride home.  Also, so you’ll stop calling me a damn cheater.” 

“This doesn’t change the fact that you cheated,” Ryuji argued before unwrapping the bar and taking a huge chunk out of it with his teeth. 

“Keep walking, loser,” you barked back with a grin. 

Akira watched the two of you mock fight until the blond was out of the door.  The thief was unsure if your relationship with each other was endearing or annoying, but he let out a sigh anyways as he took Ryuji’s seat. 

“What’s up, Leader?  You seem tired?” you asked. 

“Nothing,” he responded before teasing, “What’s this about you cheating, though?” 

“Ryuji’s just a sore loser,” you huffed in return. “No one can beat me at poker though, so it’s normal to be accused of cheating I suppose.” A mockingly weary sigh left you as you eyed the student with crocodile tears. 

“Is that a challenge?” Akira asked with a raised brow, the thrill-seeker in him having their interest piqued. 

“Depends on what you want to bet,” you responded with a cattish grin. 

Just as Akira appeared to have a reply, the youth closed his mouth and seemed to think something over.  You cocked your head, but waited patiently.  The onyx-haired male mumbled something under his breath and scratched at the back of his neck.  Then, just as you were about to speak up, a low chuckle left Akira and he looked back up to make eye contact with you. 

Rose red irises seemed to stare straight into your soul. 

Your breath hitched.  Those were not the eyes of your somewhat shy but collected leader.  Akira was a man whose eyes reflected his strong sense of self and the kindness he bared to the world.  Instead, before you was a monster.  Crimson madness swam in those eyes.  Those were eyes that defied death and rejected life—a monster that devoured everything that laid before him and you were next in line.  The mere thought sent shivers down your spine and excitement brewed in your gut.  A grin split past your lips. 

“Now that’s a good expression, love,” he purred past a chuckle. 

“To what do I owe the visit, Arsene?” you asked before realising the name that you had called.  A thought buzzed the name in your mind before quieting back down and you realised it was your persona talking to you before falling back into slumber. 

“You said you had never lost, correct?  I was just a little curious to test your mettle in that case.  Poker happens to be a pastime of mine,” Arsene explained with a twirl of his finger to accent his words. 

“I really want to ask just how you’re… possessing our precious leader at the moment, but I can’t pass up a promising game.” The thrill that chilled your nerves was absolutely titillating. 

“Quite the gambling addict, aren’t we?” he teased. 

A hum left you in response, but you said nothing as you shuffled your cards.  The familiar feel of paper edges running over your skin calmed your beating heart and the fanciful motions you pulled off felt completely natural to you and were something like a ritual before you played.  The feeling of cards between your fingers was the same as home to you.  As swiftly as you began, you finished your shuffling motions and dealt out each of your hands.  Two cards each and five laid out face-down between you.  You set the deck neatly beside you and levelled your hooded gaze with his carmine eyes. 

“Shall we begin?” you purred. 

* * *

“What’s the matter, Dealer?” Arsene asked with a teasing lilt of your code name in the Metaverse. 

A growl left you at the mocking tone and you glared harshly at the male. “I fold.” 

A laugh left the phantom thief.  You waited for him to mellow down to a snicker before sticking your hand out for his cards.  Arsene raised a brow at you. 

“Your cards.  I’m shuffling,” you explained. 

“You want to play again?  That’s your sixth loss, you know,” he said. 

“Cards,” you hissed. 

Arsene shrugged at your insistence and relinquished his hand.  When you plucked the cards and turned them over to add them back to your deck, you let out a gasp at what you saw. 

“What the hell is this?!” you exclaimed, but only received a shrug in return. “This hand is complete trash!” 

“And yet I still won.  You did fold after all,” Arsene offered with a rational air. 

“You have got to be bullshitting me,” you groaned. “I can’t believe I lost to such a shit hand like this.” 

A laugh left the male across from you, but he proceeded to try to comfort you.  The words failed to reach your ears, however, as you slumped over onto the table with a useless thump of your body.  Arsene called your name a couple of times, but all you did was groan in reply. 

“Come now, love.  And you were calling Ryuji a sore loser earlier?” he tried to quell your distress. 

“It’s different when you lose at something you’re supposed to be really good at!” you argued with an upcoming sniffle underlying your words. 

The frustration was aggravating and you were not familiar with how to process the emotions of loss.  A sigh left Arsene and the thief prompted you to raise your head.  Reluctant but obedient, you glanced up at the victor with a huff.  A small smile lit the onyx-haired male’s lips and he gave you a reassuring pat on the head. 

“I’ll apologise for being so ruthless, all right?” he offered. 

Another huff was your only reply.  Arsene sighed before trying one more time. 

“I’ll make it up to you, how about it?” he proposed. 

“With what?” you asked back. 

“This Sunday, be free by two and you’ll find out,” he replied. 

Before you could ask any further, the phantom thief blinked and rose red was replaced by a familiar slate gaze.  Your questions remained silent on the tip of your tongue and you maintained a confused expression as Akira returned. 

“Are you okay?” your leader called out after you said nothing for an extended period. 

“I’m… not sure, Akira,” you replied hesitantly.  “I think your Persona just asked me out on a date.”


End file.
